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CCH® HR MANAGEMENT - 10/29/09

One-in-five workers describe workplace as "scary" in annual Halloween survey

Think you need to head to a haunted house to get spooked this Halloween? Think again—some workers report that you don't even have to leave work to get your fill of fright. According to CareerBuilder's Halloween survey conducted among more than 4,000 workers, nearly one-in-five (18 percent) workers describe their workplace as scary.

Some workers think their workplace is scary because their bosses bear a strong resemblance to famous Halloween characters. When asked which popular characters best reflect their boss's behavior, workers said the following:

• Glenda the Good Witch, liked and respected by all (20 percent);
• The Wolf Man, is fine one minute, howling the next (11 percent);
• The Invisible Man, never around (10 percent);
• Casper the Friendly Ghost, eager to help, but often misunderstood (9 percent);
• Dracula, constantly sucking the life right out of you (6 percent);
• Wicked With of the West, always acting conniving and sending out minions to do his/her dirty work (5 percent);
• The Mummy, slow-moving and has an ancient thought process (4 percent);
• Grim Reaper, constantly delivers bad news and inspires fear among workers (3 percent); and
• Frankenstein, green with envy (1 percent).

In addition to spooky bosses, when asked what the scariest part of their job was, workers reported the following fear-inducing activities:

• Workload (18 percent);
• Performance reviews (9 percent);
• Tight deadlines (9 percent);
• Hours worked (8 percent);
• Meeting with their boss or supervisor (7 percent); and
• Sitting through meetings (6 percent).

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